Article by Lucas Wilson.
“My head has obviously been spinning in recent days, as I’m sure have all of yours, with everything going on.
As the footy season commences (for now!), the quote “play what’s in front of you”, is very appropriate. It is a footy quote that implores players to, as it says, play what is in front of them, at that given moment. Don’t worry about the scoreboard, don’t worry about next year’s contract, don’t worry about getting dropped next week, don’t worry about whether or not they will make the finals, don’t worry about the next minute, quarter, 2nd half, final score, brownlow votes, the umpire, the commentary, anything else other than what they can control in that instant.
That’s what we need to do. That’s all we can do. We need to remain calm amid the chaos, and play what’s in front of us.”
The above is part of a recent email I sent to our team at Wilsons, along with a broad outline of some plans to get through the coronavirus pandemic together, regardless of what each day brings, which is inevitably different from the previous day.
We are in it together as a team, we are in it together with our clients, we are in it together with our local community, we are in it together with everyone in our great nation. The world even! And we’re going to get through it – because what’s the alternative?!
Our business’s purpose statement is:
“To contribute value, solutions, and a positive example, so that together we grow and improve”.
We are working through ways to do exactly this, to live out our mission, which is:
“By putting clients’ interests ahead of our own, we continuously improve and grow in the value we contribute to property sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants, as well as our wider community. As a team we bring loyalty, positivity and solutions – we “have our clients’ backs”, as well as each other’s”
The above quote about “playing what’s in front of you” was part of some advice I received from Andrew Trim, ex Olympic athlete, successful real estate salesperson, agency operator and now director of multiple real estate offices and leading real estate sales and management trainer. Consulting with the likes of Andrew is forming part of our business leaving no stone unturned so we can continue to best serve our clients and community through this crisis.
Tenants, landlords, sellers, buyers, members of our local community – we are with you.
We are feeling your anguish, we understand, and are here to help as you navigate your way through anything related to real estate. (Or even unrelated – if we can help, we will).
- We understand that tenants really don’t want to stop or reduce the rent they have committed to pay, but that doing so may be the only way forward for them.
- We understand that landlords have mortgages and commitments, and are equally likely to be taking massive hits to their own incomes and can ill-afford to hold an investment property that suddenly fails to yield an income.
- We understand that buyers are scared of the uncertainty ahead, but suggest as reassurance that the one positive certainty to remember is that this crisis is a temporary situation, and, in general, real estate is a long term proposition.
- We understand that sudden income losses could lead to panic selling and/or mortgage foreclosures, and a temporary housing market crash, which benefits few. But knowing that we are all in this temporary crisis together, we have faith in our government and banks to provide measures to avoid this scenario, such as the ability to pause mortgage payments, rent assistance for renters, concessions, financial assistance, etc.
- We will work with you through whatever situation you find yourself in.
- We understand that from a physical and logistical perspective, as a real estate office we need to put measures in place to ensure we can best continue to provide our services and maintain best practices in all real estate transactions.
- Digital virtual tours
- Working remotely
- Sanitisation
- Team segregation
- 1:1 appointments as opposed to large crowds
- Transacting largely via phone and email
- Etc etc… Nothing is off the table, all ideas will be explored/considered/implemented
I love the following from Andy Frisella, something we can all embrace:
Your opportunity to get better in the struggle
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”
You know who said that?
Albert Einstein.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
You know who said that?
Bruce Lee.
You know what you need to do right now?
Combine those two quotes and keep moving forward.
One of the biggest opportunities of our lifetime lies just ahead of this chaos.
Don’t forget that.
We all see the same crazy events going on…
…and the difference between those who become legends that emerge from these events, and those who become victims of the times has everything to do with staying focused, staying calm, staying flexible and staying committed.
You are destined to become a victim if you can’t find the opportunity to get better in the struggle.
Look for it.
It’s there.
I’m not going to make predictions. I’m not going to pretend the real estate market will happily sail along somehow immune from the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m not going to be a doomsayer either.
I’m just going to make sure that together, the team at Wilsons are with you. We’re going to put others’ interests ahead of our own. We are going to play what’s in front of us, and control what we can control. We’re going to stay calm amid the chaos. Sanity amid the sanitisation!
We’re stockpiling solutions – not toilet paper!
Stay safe, and look after those around you, there are likely plenty worse off.
To quote Scott Pape – “You’ve got this!”
USEFUL LINKS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources – Australian Government
Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert – Australian Government
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak – World Health Organisation
Economic Response to the Coronavirus
Grocery Swap – Warrnambool & Surrounding Areas – Facebook Group
Best wishes,
Lucas Wilson